In the past decade, Amsterdam‘s hospitality scene has seen an ongoing transformation with new, adventurous, and design-led establishments popping up across town, but it’s in the city’s largely gentrified De Pijp district where some of the most boundary-pushing concepts can be found. In the latter category falls Layers, a newly opened artisanal bakery, deli and café rolled into one which pulls all the gourmets to its doorstep since it opened. Founded and co-owned by Alexandre Scour, a young French pastry chef who also launched the hugely popular Pantopia pastry shop only a little while ago, Layers occupies a 120 sqm. (1,292 sq.ft.) space on the ground floor of a red brick residential structure built in 1876. For the interior design, Scour tapped Paris-based architecture and design practice HYPNOS which created Brutalist-inspired settings with sophisticated minimalist details. Upon entering the premises, guests encounter a seemingly tiered concrete service counter engraved with the Layers logo and three lit menu signs hovering overhead.

Directly opposite, a sleek wall-mounted crafted from metal matches the length of the service counter, and is paired with similarly understated sconces. Situated right behind the counter, encased in floor-to-ceiling glass, Scour and his dexterous staff can be seen in full action, prepping orders in the bakery and kitchen. At the far end, below two small windows, an elongated bench upholstered in luxurious red leather and attached metal tables can be found. In an adjacent cave-like space more seating is readily available, captured by red leather benches paired with sturdy stainless steel tables and matching stools. The back wall, clad entirely in mirrors, conceals a bathroom, while also optically enlarging the space. Embedded linear light fixtures add futuristic element to the setting. The concept of Layers revolves around next-level artisanal croissants in alluring variations, created with traditional French ingredients and procedures, but also a range of innovative sandwiches with savoury toppings, all paired with various coffee concoctions, matcha, or other beverages. © superfuture